#CW cancer

[mrscaracal]

This is amazing!

"Doctors have begun trialling the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine in patients, as experts hailed its “groundbreaking” potential to save thousands of lives.

Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death, accounting for about 1.8m deaths every year. Survival rates in those with advanced forms of the disease, where tumours have spread, are particularly poor.

Now experts are testing a new jab that instructs the body to hunt down and kill cancer cells – then prevents them ever coming back. Known as BNT116 and made by BioNTech, the vaccine is designed to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of the disease.

The phase 1 clinical trial, the first human study of BNT116, has launched across 34 research sites in seven countries: the UK, US, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain and Turkey.

The UK has six sites, located in England and Wales, with the first UK patient to receive the vaccine having their initial dose on Tuesday [August 20, 2024].

Overall, about 130 patients – from early-stage before surgery or radiotherapy, to late-stage disease or recurrent cancer – will be enrolled to have the jab alongside immunotherapy. About 20 will be from the UK.

The jab uses messenger RNA (mRNA), similar to Covid-19 vaccines, and works by presenting the immune system with tumour markers from NSCLC to prime the body to fight cancer cells expressing these markers.

The aim is to strengthen a person’s immune response to cancer while leaving healthy cells untouched, unlike chemotherapy.

“We are now entering this very exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy clinical trials to investigate the treatment of lung cancer,” said Prof Siow Ming Lee, a consultant medical oncologist at University College London hospitals NHS foundation trust (UCLH), which is leading the trial in the UK.

“It’s simple to deliver, and you can select specific antigens in the cancer cell, and then you target them. This technology is the next big phase of cancer treatment.”

Janusz Racz, 67, from London, was the first person to have the vaccine in the UK. He was diagnosed in May and soon after started chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The scientist, who specialises in AI, said his profession inspired him to take part in the trial. “I am a scientist too, and I understand that the progress of science – especially in medicine – lies in people agreeing to be involved in such investigations,” he said...

“And also, I can be a part of the team that can provide proof of concept for this new methodology, and the faster it would be implemented across the world, more people will be saved.”

Racz received six consecutive injections five minutes apart over 30 minutes at the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Clinical Research Facility on Tuesday.

Each jab contained different RNA strands. He will get the vaccine every week for six consecutive weeks, and then every three weeks for 54 weeks.

Lee said: “We hope adding this additional treatment will stop the cancer coming back because a lot of time for lung cancer patients, even after surgery and radiation, it does come back.” ...

“We hope to go on to phase 2, phase 3, and then hope it becomes standard of care worldwide and saves lots of lung cancer patients.”

The Guardian revealed in May that thousands of patients in England were to be fast-tracked into groundbreaking trials of cancer vaccines in a revolutionary world-first NHS “matchmaking” scheme to save lives.

Under the scheme, patients who meet the eligibility criteria will gain access to clinical trials for the vaccines that experts say represent a new dawn in cancer treatment."

-via The Guardian, May 30, 2024

[hankgreenappreciation]

I never go on twitter (because, you know, it’s twitter) but I just had a look at it to check up on Hank and I’m glad to see he’s being *extremely* Hank about this

[whatisthiswitchcraft]

‘Interview With the Vampire’: Ben Daniels on That Bloody Season 2 Finale

[willgrahamscock]

No one prepares you for how crippling grief is, last year my mom died of cancer. I watched her decline so rapidly that my brain couldn't understand who I was looking at by the time she passed. I couldn't understand who I was by the time she passed because I had to become a vessel who makes appointments, dresses, nurses, cooks and an entity who does not sleep. I did it all alone. The reality is that cancer eats away at everything, it lives on even after the patient dies. It ate away at every part of me, I couldn't get out of bed, I had sleep paralysis, I couldn't stop seeing her... like that. They asked me if she's my grandmother when they carried her out of the house. She was in her early 50s. Do you understand? In 3 months, she began to look like she was 80. Everyone wanted me to move on after a month, no one called anymore, not even a text. I thought I was alone when she was alive, but this was a new type of isolation. One that I barely survived. (thank you to my mutuals and tumblr for being an outlet)

It's been a year and 6 months, today I realized she's not the first thing I think of in the morning, or the last thing I think of before I fall asleep. I couldn't even call to do paperwork before, now I'm forgetting why it was even that difficult.

The sun's out, I think i'm going to get ice cream without feeling guilty that it's not something she can do anymore.

[undead-knick-knack]

Wishing a Sam a speedy recovery and smiley day! 💛🥹

[ask-spiderpool]

[elamimax]

[kathaynesart]

Health Update

I don't want to make a big show of this, but I did want to thank everyone for the support and concern you've given me over these past arduous months of testing and waiting.

As of now I am relieved to announce that I am cancer free. Technically I still have a growth in my throat the size of a golf ball, BUT it is benign, stable, and not growing. I will have to keep an eye on it for the remainder of my life but at least for the immediate future, I am in the clear.

Thank you so much everyone. So many of you have reached out with concern and stressed to me the importance of placing my health over my comic/art and that has meant a lot. You're all wonderful and these projects have been a wonderful distraction during this really unstable time. <3

[here-there-be-drag0ns]

Sometimes I remember Chip canonically had testicular cancer that he just. Shrugged off as a weird lump that he knew probably should look into but just didn't feel like it. My guy better hope when his balls fell off they took all the cancerous cells or he's in for some Issues down the line when he's revived.

[your-enby-antihero]

Wishing him literally the best recovery!!!!! Sam Riegel is such a fucking powerhouse this man made me laugh and cry during this video what a guy <3. Let all use this as a chance to say FUCK CANCER and remember to take care of your body and keep up with your health. Much love to Sam and his family and the cr team ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.

[redstonedust]

[reasonsforhope]

Article

"Every year, over 350,000 women die from cervical cancer and another 660,000 are diagnosed. [Note: Plus trans men and other trans people with a cervix.] As a consequence, children are orphaned, families impoverished and communities diminished by the loss of mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. 

And yet, unlike most other cancers, almost all these cases and deaths can be averted. We have powerful vaccines that can prevent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer; we have diagnostics to detect it early; and we have treatments for those it strikes. With these tools, cervical cancer can not only be stopped; it could become the first cancer to be eliminated. Some high-income countries are already close to elimination, meaning fewer than four cases per 100,000 women.

But in many low- and middle-income countries, these tools are still not available, which is why 94% of cervical cancer deaths occur in those countries. 

In 2018, WHO launched a global call to action to eliminate cervical cancer, which was followed in 2020 by the adoption by all 194 WHO Member States of a Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem. The strategy calls for countries to achieve three targets by 2030: 90% of girls fully immunised against HPV; 70% of women receiving timely screening; and 90% of those found with precancer or cancer accessing treatment.

These targets are not just aspirational, they are achievable, even in low- and middle-income countries.  Bhutan has already reached the targets, the first to do so in the South-East Asia region. 

Since introducing the HPV vaccine in 2011, Rwanda has reached vaccine coverage of 90%, and today announced its national goal to reach the 90-70-90 targets three years ahead of schedule, by 2027. Already, in two districts – Gicumbi and Karongi – Rwanda is meeting those goals. Nigeria, which introduced the HPV vaccine in October last year [2023], has already vaccinated 12.3 million girls.  

We have the tools and the opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer. 

Since WHO issued the global call to action in 2018, more than 60 countries have introduced the HPV vaccine into their immunisation programmes, bringing the total to 144 countries that are routinely protecting girls from cervical cancer in later life. With scientific advances, we can now prevent cervical cancer with just a single dose, which 60 countries are now doing.  

The largest provider of HPV vaccines to low- and middle-income countries is Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which plans to vaccinate 120 million children between now and 2030. But this plan requires that investments in health are sustained. We are also counting on manufacturers to confirm and honour their commitments to provide HPV vaccines to low- and middle-income countries in the coming years, to avoid the supply constraints that held back progress in the past.

But we cannot rely on vaccines alone. The impact of the rapid scale-up in vaccinating girls now will not be seen for decades, when they reach the adult years when cervical cancer typically appears. To save lives now, we must match the increase  in vaccination with increases in screening and treatment. 

Decades ago, as more women gained access to pap smears in developed countries, the mortality associated with cervical cancer dropped rapidly. Today, even better tests are available. Over 60 countries now include high-performance HPV tests as part of their screening programs. Women can even collect their own samples for HPV testing, removing more barriers to life-saving services. In Australia – which is on track to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve elimination – more than a quarter of all screening tests are now done this way...

Several countries are also investigating the use of artificial intelligence to enhance the accuracy of screening in resource-limited settings. When women are found with precancerous lesions, many are now treated with portable battery-powered devices, which can be operated in remote locations."

-via The Telegraph, November 18, 2024. Article written by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

[sleepyc63]

-> warrior cats: a starless clan (finale) spoilers!

self indulgent frostdawn anthro/modern au design :D i have some thoughts for how her story would go, tho i’m not sure if i'll make this into a series (since i still need to finish the rw ones..)

extra info under cut! tw for abuse, manipulation, death of loved ones. i changed the timeline a bit, and wrote some potentially triggering topics into the story to match the dramatic events of the original. please, be careful!!

To start, i should clarify my interpretation of a modern wc au, specifically the naming system and what that changes here. 'Kits are 0-8 yrs old, 'Paws are 9-17, and warrior names are given at 18 and onward. Each name change requires the cat to graduate their level of school, so cats that are held back would be given their names later.

Frostkit would be the firstborn kit to her parents Jayclaw and Curlfeather, her siblings (Graykit, Mistkit) were born two years after her. Her father died from complications caused by cancer when she was 4. She was brought up religious and has a very strong faith in StarClan.

Frostkit was always smart, getting straight As throughout her childhood. Frostpaw became interested in medicine in her tween years, and her mother encouraged her, seeing opportunity in her kit's success.

When Frostpaw was 12, she and Curlfeather were involved in a car accident, and Curlfeather died. Frostpaw and her siblings were adopted by their grandmother, Duskfur. Frostpaw struggled with not only the grief of losing both her parents so young, but also the survivor's guilt that came with surviving the car crash.

Splashpaw, a childhood 'friend' of Frostpaw's that had continually made advances on Frostpaw when they were young, saw the opportunity to coerce the grief-stricken Frostpaw into a relationship with him. Frostpaw, lonely and desperate for some kind of affection, accepted.

Splashpaw was... awful, to say the least. Me was manipulative, obsessive, and really only used Frostpaw for validation, and eventually (if they stayed together long enough): money. Their relationship came to an end when they had a massive fight about Frostpaw going off to college in another state. He slashed Frostpaw's throat, leaving her comatose for weeks and in physical recovery for months. Frostpaw, obviously, cut all contact and Splashtail probably went to jail (idc about him he can go wherever)

Despite her setbacks, she graduated high school at the top of her class and earned her 'warrior' name: Frostdawn. She recently started college at her dream school, and she's roommates with another med student: Whistlebreeze! (and yes, they are crushing on each other. go you funky little lesbians!!)

Even if her life seems to be getting better, Frostdawn still struggles with the trauma of her childhood, as well as the physical & mental scars given by Splashtail. she's on the path to recovery, but these things take time; she's more than wiling to move on, when she's ready. in the meantime, she has a strong support system to help her on her bad days. :)

ily frostdawn <33

[jocula-trixie]

not an update i want to be making, but tuesday, march 26th, my aunt sandy lost her battle with cancer. at this point, all of the fundraising will go towards covering the cost of her arrangements, paying any remaining medical bills, and making sure my cousin has enough money to get by.

any donations would be greatly appreciated, as well as reblogs to help spread the word.

[honeyhotteoks]

i genuinely can't stop thinking about yunho as a fallen angel... like...

yunho’s catholic confirmation name is stefano, which is i believe a reference to saint stephen. saint stephen is the patron saint of several different things, but the one that caught my eye was the patron saint of coffin makers. ive had that knowledge churning around in my brain for a long time, especially after watching the kdrama doom at your service, but after seeing these pictures my mind is absolutely spinning with fallen angel soulmate yunho brain rot……… so come along with me

•

fallen angel yunho. he's been wandering the earth for years, passing through life and people and history and he's never known the reason that he was cast out until he meets her, you. he hears you first, a distant voice in the back of his mind, a prayer to his saintly name, a name he hasn't heard in what feels like a millennia. a whisper to saint stephen, the man he used to be, many years and many bodies ago.

no one prays to him anymore, not really. certainly not a voice like yours, ringing clearly and angrily in his ear, a bitter request for a coffin to be ready in early spring. he thinks about the way it's almost winter now, the air turning crisp, and he wonders what in your life has you so angry and yet so practical about death.

he thinks of you for days, weeks, idlily waiting to hear the voice again. he dreams of it, sometimes wakes from a stone sleep to your bitter tenor, the clear catch of tears in your throat, but it's always a memory. he finds himself wandering the city for you, searching through churches, reverent houses of worship that you might be hiding away in. he doesn't expect to find your voice ringing out clear as day across the crowded room of a museum, full of life and joy and the picture of health.

he finds a way to speak to you, he's practiced in the art of conversation, of seduction even when the end goal isn't sex. he just wants to know you, to hear your pretty prayer in person, to understand your voice just a little and why in the world you were praying to him and not god himself like everyone else. in the midst of many, he makes a space for you both alone, the connection and the pull immediate and essential.

for a while, you make him smile, laugh, relax, he feels more at ease and more like a person than he ever would have expected. he doesn't understand you or your prayer though, not until you cough painfully, fitfully into your sleeve and he sees the bright kiss of blood at the corner of your lips. he never imagined you sick, but he supposes it makes sense. in all the versions of meeting you he imagined, this outcome wasn’t one he ever entertained.

he's never watched someone he's loved die before, at least not since his first life, and shamefully he barely remembers the names of his family from then. but somehow he knows he'll remember yours, the way he aches is altogether new and even though he knows it would be better to watch over you from afar, he just can't. and it doesn't help that you keeps finding your way to him around every corner of the city, coincidence after coincidence. so easy to joke about how it must be fate when it is in fact fate, pulling you tightly together and tying the knot tight.

he allows himself to love you then, and you allow yourself one last, good thing. he never lies about who and what he is, and you never really believe him, for all you know he's just a figment of your imagination. a hallucination from one of your tumors like the doctor warned you about. you think if cancer can give you one gift before dying, at least it's him.

for a little while yunho thinks his purpose in falling from grace was to love you, after all you prayed to him, no matter how bitterly. but he understands the truth the moment he meets your daughter, the moment he realizes his purpose for you is much more than momentary, final happiness.

and so he carries you forward through those final months, easing your pain and your giving you one last chance at real, lasting love. and he helps ease you into the other side, his promises whispered tearfully into your hair, that he'll see you again but only after he stays by her side. your child's own guardian angel, happy to watch over her and guide her until it's her time to come home too.

and of course, that means he has to wait. you both do, but he's already waited, even when he didn't know what he was waiting for.

[schrijverr]

I'm looking into blood thinners for fics ideas to maybe write and, y'all, side effects can include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, bloody noses that last less than 10 minutes and hair loss. There is so much fucking angst potential in the 118 not talking to Buck for a little while due to the lawsuit only to run into him (maybe even during the grocery store scene) and it's a bad day for him and his meds, only for everyone to come to some very, very wrong conclusions about what has happened to Buck's health in the time they didn't see him. Like, what are you going to think if you see zombie Buck with medicinal hair loss, dabbing away a bloody nose as he sways a little with a screwed up face? Nothing good, that's what.